Reliable Zhongli, Guga Like a Savior!

"Was that little pink one called Doro?"

"That child was such an incredible food-type Soul Master. If we made it back alive this time, I would definitely thank her properly!"

Xue Yan looked at the Orange in Xue Wu's hand and remembered it. It was called Orange.

That child named Doro had given it to Xue Yan.

"Mom, are you okay now?"

Feeling her mother's body temperature rising again, Xue Wu was overwhelmed with emotion. Just moments ago, she had thought her mother would leave her forever.

But now, it seemed her mother was all right.

"I'm fine now. That orange segment you gave me, Xiao Wu, had a special power."

"At the same time, I felt the warmth of my daughter."

"So Mommy is fine now. Mommy will live on with Xiao Wu!"

A happy smile appeared on Xue Yan's face. She pressed her cheek against Xue Wu's, then nuzzled her affectionately.

"Mom..."

Xue Wu froze. Since childhood, this was the first time her mother had been so physically close to her.

It was also the first time she had expressed her love so directly. Xue Wu looked at the Orange in her hand.

"Doro, thank you. This really is a magical Orange that can bring people happiness!"

Xue Wu felt incredibly warm inside, a warmth called happiness.

Even amid the ice and snow, even while the blizzard raged outside, that warmth of happiness would forever warm her heart!

Meanwhile, Qin Qi and the others...

"It's starting to hail!"

"Mr. Zhongli, quickly use your powerful Geo power and think of something!"

Qin Qi looked at the fist-sized hailstones falling from the sky. He felt that if one hit him...

It would definitely leave a huge bump on his head!

"Doro! (Waaah, it hit me! It hurts!)"

Doro whimpered as she covered her little head. Hanging around Zhongli's neck, she was positioned high up and was thus more likely to get hit.

"Solid as Rock."

As Zhongli spoke, he released a shield. A pale yellow shield enveloped everyone.

The hailstones falling from the sky struck the shield with repeated thuds.

Fist-sized hailstones combined with the storm had power comparable to cannonballs!

"As expected of the Geo Archon, he's so reliable!"

"Say, Zhongli, can I learn that skill of yours? I really want to learn it!"

Qin Qi looked at Zhongli's shield and suddenly desperately wanted to learn that move.

If he mastered it, he too could stand unmoving like a mountain, Solid as Rock.

"You can. When we have some free time later, I can teach you."

Zhongli nodded and replied.

"Guga, Guga! (I want to learn too! I want to become a sturdy Guga!)"

Guga raised her little hand. She found it very interesting, so she wanted to learn it too.

"Doro, Doro! (Doro wants to learn too!)"

Doro covered her little head, determination shining in her eyes. She wanted to learn the shield.

Once she learned it, no more nasty hailstones would hit her little head.

"Friend Qin Qi, we have been searching for a long time, yet we have found no trace of them at all."

"Should we keep searching?"

Zhongli looked around at the vast whiteness and asked.

"Search. We have to search. If they're alive, we find them; if they're dead, we find their bodies!"

Qin Qi's gaze was firm. Since those two were staying at his place, he had to take responsibility to the very end!

"But we cannot see anything anywhere right now. Searching so blindly will definitely get us nowhere."

Zhongli shook his head and said.

"It's not a blind search. I know this place very well."

"Guga and the others have come here with me several times before. I know the terrain."

"There are only a few routes from our home into the Far North."

"And they haven't been inside for long, so they probably couldn't have gone very far."

"When the storm began, they definitely would have looked for somewhere to shelter."

"And there aren't many places around here where they could take shelter. Hmm, let's head forward. If I remember correctly..."

"There should be a few snow caves up ahead. They might be sheltering in one of them."

Qin Qi looked around. He had a special way of finding his bearings in deserts and snowy fields.

Even though the blizzard blocked his vision, Qin Qi could still roughly determine the direction.

"Okay."

Zhongli nodded and led everyone onward. Before long, they found a snow cave.

"Is anyone there? Xue Yan, Xue Wu, are you in there?"

Qin Qi shouted into the cave.

"Roar!"

An angry roar came from inside the cave.

"Sorry for disturbing you. We'll leave right away."

Qin Qi hurriedly had Zhongli lead them away, and they continued searching, one cave after another.

At last, they arrived at a very hidden cave.

"Is anyone there?"

Qin Qi called out loudly.

After shouting, they heard no response, so they prepared to leave for the next cave.

"Doro, Doro?"

Doro suddenly wore a puzzled expression, her tiny nose twitching slightly.

Then she looked toward the cave, tilting her head with a thoughtful look.

"Orange!"

Doro suddenly shouted. She had smelled Orange coming from this cave!

"Doro, Orange! (People! It's Orange! It's the smell of Orange!)"

Doro cried out excitedly.

"Orange? There's nowhere around here that sells Orange except our home!"

"Zhongli, go in!"

A delighted expression appeared on Qin Qi's face. They had found them. Xue Yan and Xue Wu had to be inside.

The Orange Doro smelled must have been what the mother and daughter had taken from their home!

Everyone hurried inside, calling out as they went.

"Mom, Mom, I think I heard Qin Qi's voice?"

Xue Wu curled up in her mother's arms, her consciousness a little blurry now.

In her daze, she seemed to hear Qin Qi's voice, along with Doro's and Guga's!

"I heard it too. How strange... Why would I hear their voices at the very end?"

Frost had formed over Xue Yan's body again. They had just finished the last of the Orange.

She truly could not hold on any longer. Hearing the voices by her ear, she only thought they were hallucinations before death.

She did not think Qin Qi, a child, would brave such enormous danger in a blizzard to search for two temporary guests staying at his home.

Yet although she believed it was an illusion, she still could not help turning toward the source of the voices.

Vaguely, she saw Qin Qi in his penguin suit. She saw Guga, Doro, and Zhongli.

"So it isn't just an auditory hallucination—I'm even seeing things. Honestly, why am I so fragile?"

Xue Yan could not help sighing inwardly. She was actually having such hallucinations. Her heart truly was too fragile.

"It's not an illusion. We're real."

"Touch us. We're warm."

Qin Qi stepped forward and placed his little wing against Xue Yan's face as he spoke.

"Guga! (We're real.)"

"Doro! (We searched for so long before we found you.)"

Guga and Doro stepped forward as well and hugged Xue Yan, using this method to warm her.

"Solid as Rock!"

Zhongli stood at the cave entrance, keeping all the wind and snow outside. As expected of the Geo Archon!

Sacrificing himself for others—he was truly worthy of respect! Consultant Zhongli, we adore you!

"It's... it's real. You... you really came to save us!"

Feeling that genuine warmth, Xue Yan did not understand why Qin Qi had done this.

But she was still deeply moved. Her eyes reddened slightly, and tears could not help spilling down her face.